This invention relates to a method of manufacturing structural parts or components used under a high temperature, such as those in a form of structural frames for supporting heat-insulation materials within a high temperature atmosphere heating furnace, in a form of platforms for mounting thereupon articles to be heat-treated, and in a form of rails for guiding articles to be heat-treated. More particularly, this invention relates to a method of manufacturing such structural components or parts by carbon fibre-reinforced carbon, which are to be used within a furnace, the heating temperature of which exceeds a maximum heat-resistant temperature of conventional heat-resistant materials such as alumina and the like.
In a heating furnace, the working temperature of which is higher than 1,800.degree. C., its heating elements, heat-resistant components, heat-insulation components, devices for supporting or conveying articles in the furnace, and the like are made of highly heat-resistant materials. However, when structural components are to be used within a heating furnace of a working temperature of 2,000.degree. C. to 3,000.degree. C., they can not be made of metals or ceramics. They are, therefore, mostly made of carbon materials.
For example, heating elements are, in such instance, made from graphite plates or bars. Their structural components are also generally made from graphite sheets. Heat-insulation components are made of granules, powders, or fibres of carbon or graphite. Although materials made by sintering graphite powders and the like have been widely employed to compose structural parts, recently developed carbon fibre-reinforced carbons having strength extremely higher than graphites now take the place of the latter.
However, it is very difficult to prepare structural components of a desired configuration such as H-shaped, T-shaped, and so on by means of carbon fibre-reinforced carbons. That is, when carbon fibers or fabrics which have been applied with adhesives, are baked within a die or mould, they will not be afforded with a sufficiently high strength unless the mould is subjected to and kept under a high pressure. In order to bake the carbons, it is required to place the mould loaded with the carbons into a high temperature furnace, while the mould brought into the furnace has to be kept under a high pressure. These two requirements make manufacturing operations very difficult and furnace structures very complicated. Especially when elongated structural components are to be manufactured, furnace installations become further complicated and expensive.